Wednesday, 5 July 2017

Skincare For The City Girl

Turns out living and working in the big smoke isn't the best for your skin - with London pollution being astronomically high (the city broke its yearly limit within 5 days of 2017), skin is fighting against free-radicals all day long. Too much pollution can block pores, cause extra dehydration and essentially make skin lose its radiance and age faster. Luckily, I've edited together skincare picks for the city girl to make sure our complexions stand a fighting chance...

The cleanser

For me, washing my face when I get home is one of the best things and as I work in a busy city and wear a lot of SPF and makeup on the daily, a double cleanse is pretty much an essential at the end of a long day. I like something balm-based or oily for the first cleanse to really eradicate all traces of makeup and then treating the skin with something like the Clarins extra-comfort anti pollution cleansing cream. It smells absolutely delicious (clean, powdery and nostalgic in the best way) and feels so soft and cloud-like on the skin - wiped off with a hot flannel leaves skin smooth and nourished.

The defence

My love for Deciem is well-documented, but this latest addition to my skincare stash is one of the most exciting for sure - the Superoxide Dismutase Saccharide Mist is essentially an incredibly souped up skincare mist which protects the skin against dehydration, irritation and pollution - it's a huge bottle, so it's a great one to reapply throughout the day with reckless abandon. The ingredient superoxide dismutase protects the skin and body against oxidation and external free-radicals so that skin is basically cushioned against the elements. The other ingredients work to prevent further water loss and irritation on the skin which makes this mist an absolute essential to keep on your desk and to reapply repeatedly throughout the day - not only does it refresh skin and leave everything looking more plumped but the benefits within the mist ensure that your complexion is safely protected against the elements.

The treatments

If you've had a long day in the city, it feels so good to treat the skin after cleansing and one of my top picks would be the Caudalie overnight detox oil. Firstly, it smells a little minty and fresh so it instantly gives the impression of being beneficial for the skin (even if the smell doesn't mean anything!). The texture is on the drier side so it doesn't leave skin feeling unnecessarily oily and ingredients such as neroli, lavender and white santal all work together to leave the skin purified and soothed. I like to take five or so drops in the palm of my hand and spend a good couple of minutes working the oil into the skin - I like it even better with my jade roller for a mini facial massage. For another option, I also really like the Rio Rosa Mosqueta antioxidant facial oil which I prefer to use in the morning as the formula contains an anti-pollution complex in it so I use this in the morning and then know that my skin is protected under my makeup and SPF. With rosehip and cranberry seed oil, this gives a nice amount of dewiness for the skin as well as helping to give a little boost of radiance. It's also natural, vegan-friendly and cruelty-free!